


A change In Fate's Path

by CourageousPrincess



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-01
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-04-16 22:59:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14175222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CourageousPrincess/pseuds/CourageousPrincess
Summary: Kaito never discovered his father's secret, instead, his best friend Aoko did. To protect him, as well as seek justice for his murder, she takes up the mantle of Kaito Kid. On the other end of things, Shinichi is not the one forced to take apoptoxin 4869, Ran is. Now she must masquerade as a child while working with her disabled best friend to find a cure.





	1. The Mantle of Kaito Kid

**Author's Note:**

> one of there " without a second one at the end means it's a though (cause I don't know how to italicize on here).

It really was unfair, or, at the very least it felt unfair.

Aoko watched as her father glared twin holes into the morning paper, specifically, the headline talking about the return of the infamous phantom thief Kaito Kid. 8 years ago her father, Inspector Nakamori, had spent blood, sweat, and tears to try and catch the elusive criminal before his sudden disappearance. Many had presumed the thief to be dead. And now apparently he wasn't. Her father had once been obsessed with catching Kid, and now it seems the old 'passion' had been reignited. She let out a mental sigh.

"I guess I'd better enjoy having a dad while he's still here.

 

Aoko was used to Kaito's antics. His daily outbursts made it hard not to. Did that mean she wouldn't try and brain him with a mop when he decided to peek at her panties? Nope- no way in hell. Just because she was used to such antics didn't mean she was going let them slid (seriously, why did her childhood friend have such an obsession with letting the class know the color of her underwear?!). She did have to admit the trich with standing on his hands and the robotic head was neat, but she'd never say that to his face- his ego didn't need any more inflating. The class was going on per usual, Kaito running from her mop-fu(as he dubbed it) while the teacher drilled them on math equations. The poor woman tried to trip them up, but it never worked.

"Nobody can beat me," Kaito said with a lax expression.

Aoko ran at him, swinging the mop head in an ark and forcing him to cling to the ceiling. Their fellow classmates awwed at his feat of skill.

"Not even you could beat Kaito Kid, Kaito!" She countered.

"Kaito Kid?" Her friend/tormenter asked. She wasn't surprised, he didn't read the paper daily like she and her father did.

"The phantom thief who uses magic tricks to steal."

Kaito snorted.

"Obviously I'm the better magician- I don't use my skills to steal." He retorted.

"He's probably a professional with years more experience compared to your own, their's no way you're better than him, even if he is a criminal!" Aoko responded.

"Says who?" Kaito verbally jabbed. "You aren't a magician- you can even stop me from figuring out your panty color."

Aoko fumed.

"I'll show you- I'll go catch Kaito Kid!" Aoko shouted.

Her mop clattered to the floor where she dropped it as she ran out of the classroom. She ignored the look Kaito cast her way in favor of focusing on her anger. She'd show that brat! She'd even show her dad a thing or two (even if her dad hadn't had any luck catching Kid 8 years ago)!

The only magician besides Kaito that she knew was Her friend's father, Kuroba Toichi. The man had passed away 8 years ago due to a failed escape trick, oddly enough, it was around the time that Kaito Kid had vanished. She stepped into Kaito's home and marched up the stairs into his room. It always amazed her how clean the area was, you'd assume a person like him would have at least a few clothes on the floor or something.

Her gaze drifted to the life-sized poster of the elder Kuroba. Kaito had looked up to him with such adoration, it was no wonder why the apple had fallen so close to the tree. After the man's death, her father had once brought up the theory of the magician being the infamous Kaito Kid, the timing of the two did add up, but it had been discarded soon thereafter. Kaito didn't need that kind of suspicion pointed at his now dead father. The sun was setting and soon Kaito would be home.

She pressed the pads of her fingertips against the poster, and jumped by in surprise when it began turning like a hidden door. The poster/hidden door flipped around a few times, exposing a second poster of Kuroba Toichi in full kid regalia, before settling back into place. Curiosity piped, Aoko pushed against the poster a second time, a little harder this time, and almost shrieked as the poster swung around, pushing her into a pit lined with darkness.

"Aoko, you here? You forgot to grab your backpack at school!" She heard Kaito call.

She wasn't sure how far down she fell, but her decent was stopped by a plush lounge chair. The light clicked on all around her exposing a large room with a black and white checkered floor. To her front was an odd looking jukebox, to her right was a gleaming silver car, and to her left were shelves housing various odd knickknacks.

"What in the world?"

She watched as the jukebox in front of her came to life. The club on the left part of the planned lit up as the internal mechanisms began working, the machine chose a record from the center of the stack.

"It's been a while, Kaito." A voice said from the speaker.

A voice she knew. The voice of Kuroba Toichi. Aoko paled. It appeared that the device was set to play the moment someone entered. This was obviously meant for Kaito, but she found herself unable to stand. She had to know just what in the hell was going on.

 

Up above in his room, Kaito flopped onto his bed. He didn't know where Aoko was, possibly in her room cooking up a plan to catch Kid. He hoped she was alright. He was pulled from his musings by a beep from his computer, his mom was calling. We strolled over to his desk and watched him mom's image blink onto the laptop's screen.

"Hey, mom." He greeted with a smile.

Kuroba Chikage looked as elegant as ever, cosmetics done lightly and her chin-length hair neat and straight. A far cry from his own bird's nest of brown locks. She was seated at what looked to be a table to some outdoor café, a cup of what was probably tea to her right.

"I trust you've been well?" She asked.

"Of course! What else could I be?" Kaito responded.

This earned him a chuckle from his mother.

"And how as Aoko-chan been?"

"Aoko's doing well, for the most part."

Chikage quirked an eyebrow at him. Kaito sighed.

"This morning she brought up the phantom thief Kaito Kid, apparently he's returned after 8 years. She decided she's going to try and catch him." He explained.

His mother said nothing as she took a sip from her drink, soaking in this information.

"And I assume you had some part to play in this?" She asked.

Kaito spluttered.

"W-why would you say that?"

His mother gave him a knowing look, they type that said 'did-you-even-have-to-ask' before glancing down at her watch.

"I'm sorry, Kaito, but I need to leave now. I'm on my way to see a magic show." Chikage said, bells ringing in the background.

Before Kaito could say anything, she ended the chat.

That woman really does things at her own pace.

 

"Kaito, I'm going to teach you the secret of being a magician." Toichi's voice said.

Aoko smiled. He obviously knew how much his son loved magic, it was a shame he wasn't around to continue teaching Kaito.

"To begin with, do you know what the most important thing for a magician is?"

"The most important thing?

Aoko watched the needle slip off of the record, the message was over. The jukebox turned off as the floor opened and a closet-like box rose up. Before she could think about it, the doors swung open. She gaped in shock, the contents of the closet were a formal white suit with an equally as white mantle and top hat along with a monocle, resting against the side was what looked to be a cane or baton of some sort. Aoko got to her feet and moved recognized the suit from somewhere. As she observed the suit, it clicked into place.

"That's-"

The rod resting to the side felt to the ground and rolled to her feet. She picked it up carefully, so far there was nothing strange about it. She placed a hand on the top and turned to the left. After a few turns, the rod expanded into a glider. Her heart sank.

"Don't tell be Toichi-san was actually-"

Pressing her lips together, she made a decision. She'd get answers. She reached forward to grab the white suit.

 

"So, you dropped a dummy to fool the cops white to came up here to the roof."

The fake cop looked up to where she sat on the roof's entrance, mask hiding his face.

"It's a simple trick, really, old enough to do the name of Kaito Kid disservice."

"W-who the hell are you?" The supposed thief asked, voice quivering.

She didn't respond right away, instead choosing to casually stand up, the same make the covered Kid's face his her own.

"I've been waiting for you, Kid-san." She replied.

She walked forward and then descended to the rooftop. Kaito Kid, or at least the person posing as him, stared at her.

"Now I can get some answers.

"Then can you figure out this trick?" Kid challenged, grabbing the right shoulder of his disguise.

The next moment, the masked man with Kid's signature hat and mantle stood before her, everything besides the head, hands, tie, and aforementioned mantle was gone.

Aoko forced herself to keep calm. She knew Kaito kid was no sorcerer, it was all a trick.

"How's this?" Kid asked. "You can't see my body."

She let out a Kaito-esk laugh.

"I'll admit it's a neat trick, but that's all I can say about it."

"What?" The phantom thief asked in confusion.

The wind around them picked up, catching the police disguise and whipping it up into the air. At that same moment, Kid's body went from the city to the night sky, the crescent moon above them reflected on his chest.

"Got it!

"Prepare yourself!" The thief said.

Tut.

The thief halted in his tracks as the ace of spades card embedded itself into his mask vertically. At that same moment, she changed her position to right beside the thief, and behind her head in a casual manner. Or that's what it looked like. The false head clattered to the ground as Kid's mask broke. The thief was frozen in place as she stared at him, card gun in her right hand as the left one worked to support her body weight. The mirrors covering the thief's tuxedo broke away as his mantle came unclasped and was taken away by the wind.

"You memorized your body so it would reflect the surroundings, giving you the appearance of having no body." She explained as her opponent fell to his knees. She returned to her feet and crossed her arm, a triumphant smirk on her lips.

"An elementary trick."

The man raised his head and turned around to look at her.

"D-don't tell me you're…?!" He said, voice dripping with shock.

"Toichi-sama!" He gasped, crawling over to her.

The look on his face nearly broke her composure. He grabbed her right hand in both of his own.

"Then you're alive!" His face was a concentrated mixture of surprise and relief. What?

"This brings back so many memories!" He said. She could swear she saw tears forming in the man's glasses covered eyes.

"He know's Kaito's dad's name, why?

She gazed at the man's face for a moment before realization dawned on her. She knew this man from someplace.

"It's me! Jii, your faithful assistant!" He said, voice laced with emotion. "Have you forgotten me after a mere 8 years?"

"Jii-san!" She exclaimed.

She remembered him For Toichi's magic shows, and from his final performance. He'd looked so heart-broken that day.

"I thought you died during that show 8 years ago!" Jii said, bringing her back to the present. "I thought that if I impersonated you as Kaito Kid, it would lure them out. The miscreants who murdered you!"

Jii had let go of her hand, both now on the ground, eyes downcast to the same place.

"What!" Aoko exclaimed. "Kaito's dad was murdered?!"

She placed her hands on Jii's shoulders, forcing him to look up at her.

"Who did it? Who killed him?" She demanded.

Confusion flashed across the elderly man's features. He stared at her face intently.

"Wait, are you…" He started.

"Oh crap!

"Are you Aoko?"

Aoko grimaced.

"Please… please answer this one question." Aoko said. "Jii-san, was Kaito's dad… what he a thief?"

The old man hung his head.

"What he Kaito Kid?" She asked again.

shadows from the clouds above veiling them both in a cloak of darkness.

Jii let out a strangled breath before looking at her.

"Yes."

"I see," She muttered, standing up.

"It seems Jii Konosuke has made a grave blunder, but at least Kaito Bochama is still unaware." She heard him say.

The rooftop's door swung open.

"I found you, Kaito Kid!" An all to familiar voice shouted.

She heard the sounds of footsteps as the police nearned them. Grabbing hold of the mantle, she stretched an arm out to hide Jii's face from view as she watched from over her shoulder. Her father and several other cops arrive.

"I'll distract them." She said. "While I do that, you need to escape, Jii-san."

"But what about you, young miss?" Jii asked.

She kept her eyes on her father and his men, the monocle and shadows from the hat hid enough of her face.

"I'm not "Young miss"," she said.

A helicopter descended, bathing them both in bright light.

"I'm Kaito Kid now!"

"Young Miss!" Jii said.

"Now, get away Jii-san!" She ordered.

She detached her mantle and threw it over the old man as she ran forward, the gears in her mind spinning with a plan. It's a good thing she'd brought that along with her.

"Stop him!" Her father ordered behind her. "Don't let him escape!"

She felt a bit guilty as she jumped over the railing, deceiving her father like this. But it had to be done. Kaito loved his father, and she refused to tarnish the image he had with the truth. In true Kaito spirit, she left the police a little something. A white rose.

The wings of the glider opened as she fell, catching the air and sending her off.

 

"This has got to be the craziest night of my life!" she said. To her surprise, joy was bubbling up inside.

"Kaito Kid eh, I guess it won't be so bad."

Out of the corner of her eye, Aoko caught sight of something human-shaped. Turning her head slightly, she saw the siloett of a person in attire similar enough to her's standing of the unfinished scaffolding of an unfinished building. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"Who's that?"

Their mantle fluttered in the wind for several seconds before the person turned around. She watched them jump down before disappearing from sight completely. Suspicion pricked at the back of her mind. She recalled what Jii had about Toichi's death as she continued with her flight.

 

"So just happened to accidentally forget to mention to your son that his father was an internationally wanted criminal?" Aoko asked, grumbling.

Chikage smiled at her sweetly.

"Well I have been very busy, it just seems to have slipped my mind." The elder Kuroba said.

Aoko deadpanned, then sighed.

"Well, I can understand why you would keep it secret from him, Kaito really looked up to his father." She admitted.

Chikage's expression softened into something resembling relief. The woman glanced at her watch.

"Oh, I'm sorry but I have to go know, I'm going to a party with a friend."

"Fan then, I'll talk with you later." Aoko said.

"As per usual, she's going at her own pace.


	2. The poison called apoptoxin 4869

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A change in Shinichi and Ran's fate

13-year-old Ran Mouri sobbed as she waited for emergency vehicles to arrive. She blamed herself as the reason Shinichi was now laying on the ground, unmoving. If only she'd stopped him from chasing after that murderer! The man in question was unconscious, for different reasons than her friend, she'd tied him securely to a pipe in the abandoned building earlier, before she'd called for help. She didn't need him waking up and making her friend's condition worse.

Kudo Shinichi wasn't dead yet, she'd felt is breath, albeit too softly, against her fingers, and she'd found a fluttery pulse. But that didn't mean he wasn't in dire need of help. Her tears were forming a small puddle underneath her chin, a few centimeters from the top of Shinichi's head. As soon as the man was securely bound to the pipe, she'd fished out Shinichi's phone and dialed the police. Inspector Megure had been the one to answer, and promised her in a soothing voice that help was on the way, all they needed was the address. She'd stayed on the line for a minute longer before hanging up and breaking down.

Shinichi's skin was too pale, and dark bruises that hadn't been there earlier rested beneath his closed eyes. She couldn't see the rise and fall of his chest, his breathing was that shallow. The little girl prayed to every god she could think of, then prayed to the ones she couldn't remember at the moment or didn't know about, that her childhood friend would live. He just had too. Her spirits rose when she heard the far-off sounds of sirens. She held a breath, and only let it go when she saw adults rush in with medical equipment, the police right behind them. She let them nudge her aside as they examined Shinichi, and let her follow along in the ambulance as they rushed him to the nearest hospital.

The only place they didn't let her follow was into the ER, instead, a nurse took custody of her and managed to call both sets of parents- only actually reaching her own. She was handed over to a chair to wait for her parents. Not too long after the pair arrived, Eri taking her daughter up into her arms while Kogoro sought answers from the nurse.

"They should be finishing up with the boy in an hour, if things go well, I can let you three know when he's ready for visitors." The lady nurse said in a kind tone.

It was an hour and a half before she got the call and directed them to Shinichi's hospital room. She heard her dad suck in a sharp breath when he saw the boy in question. Ran rushed over to her friend's side. He was still unconscious, several machines hooked up to his body than now appeared smaller than it should be, like a broken doll.

"Oh, good."

The trio turned around to see a man in a crisp white coat walk in, his name tag had Dr on it.

"I'm Dr. Yamatori, it seems his parents have yet to arrive, so I was hoping I'd be able to talk with you both." The man said.

Yamatori was a gentle face middle-aged man with smile lines and kind eyes. Or, that's what he looked like to Ran. Still, there was a hint of darkness in his eyes, not the bad kind, but the kind that meant bad news.

"They boy is stable now, and should recover." Yamatori began."

"But," Eri prompted.

"But, to call it a full recovery would feel wrong, they boy suffered extensive damage to nervous system, he'll be unable to move around like he used to."

Ran grimaced. Shinichi loved soccer, but from the sound of it, he'd be unable to participate in the sport anymore. How would that affect his dream of becoming a detective?

"We've also noticed a decline in white blood cells, probably from the stress. The boy did entire clinical death soon after arriving at the ER."

The three all shot the doctor panicked looks.

"He's fine now, his heart did stop suddenly, but also restarted on its own, it was deemed the aftereffects of the extensive nerve damage," Yamatori explained. "We are hoping the decline in white blood cells is just a temporary decline of the immune system brought on stress, but there is the potential for this to worsen and become permanent, if this does happen, the boy will need to be cautious of his health. A shot immune system is not something to be ignored."

Ran resisted the urge to grip tighter to her friend's hand. This sudden drop of information was taking it's time to sink in. Her parent's talked with Dr. Yamatori a bit more, but she didn't bother listening.

2 hours after Dr. Yamatori left them, the Kudo parents arrived. Kudo Yuusaku remained mask faced as she watched his wife Yukiko cry and grip Shinichi's free hand. He did wake up the next day, by then the hospital staff had confirmed his immune system was compromised. Nether that fact, nor the news of his damaged nervous system wavered his desire to become a detective. His mind, after all, was still as sharp as it was before. Ran promised to become stronger, so she could protect her friend properly now that he could not.

 

"And the culprit is you!" Shinichi said, pointing at the supposedly wheelchair-bound man.

He made quick work of the man's supposed alibi and broken leg. When the man, cornered by all the facts, chose to run, he reacted with the reflexive motion of using his tranquilizer watch to stop the man, letting the cops take it from there.

"Good work there Kudo-kun!" Inspector Megure said, patting him lightly on the back. Handling him with kid's gloves, as though he might break under pressure.

"No thanks needed, catching criminals is what I do." He replied. "But I'd better get home now, before Ran blows a fuse- could I gut a ride from one of your officers?"

Megeru nodded. "Takagi Come here!"

 

"Someone looks pleased with himself!" Ran teased, carefully elbowing the boy at her side.

Shinichi chuckled.

"I suppose," He replied.

As they passed by a group of schoolgirls, he heard them talking about him, specifically singing praise about his deductive skills. Pride well up in his chest, but he simply continued listening to Ran talk about karate. Maybe in another life, who where he hadn't been disabled at the tender age of 13, he might have reacted more to the praise. Certainly before the accident 3 years ago he would have been puffing out his chest, maybe even laughing as he spoke up the words, but not now, not when he was so dependant on other to take care of him.

"I can't wait for Saturday to come around!" Ran said.

"Oh, a karate tournament?" He asked.

His childhood friend shot him a scary look.

"Don't tell me you forgot!" She barked at him.

"Hm? Do you mean about Tropical Land?" He asked sweetly.

Ran gave him the dirtiest look she could muster, grown men would probably be cowering in fear if they were in his place. But he was used to it, and knew she would never dare lay harm to him.

"I hate you sometimes, you know that?"

"Love you too, Ran."

 

Tropical Lads was bursting with life and cheer when they arrived Saturday evening. He made no protest as Ran dragged him from ride to ride.

"If I had to choose a favorite villain, it definitely had to be Professor Moriarty, he could always match wits with Sherlock, no matter what turn of events happened," Shinichi said.

"No surprise there, since Sherlock is your favorite character, it makes sense his antagonist would be your favorite villain." Ran replied.

The pair made it to the rollercoaster while there was still a decently lengthed line. They watched as one of the cars sped off down the track. There was a trio of older women in front of them, and she caught of trickster glint in her friend's eye.

"Excuse me miss, could I have your hand for a moment?" He asked.

Ran sighed.

She watched him shake the hand of the lady closest to them, a brunet with a string of pearls.

"You're a part of the local gymnast team, aren't you." He said, earning a gasp from the woman and a rushed nod.

"And how did you figure that out?" Ran asked, unimpressed. She'd seen him do this several times.

"The calluses on her hands are those characteristics of people who swing from uneven bars." He replied.

"But wouldn't a tennis player have the same calluses?"

"Yes, but gymnasts also use powdered chalk to reduce friction, which gives the hands, and calluses on them, a rougher feel to them. And besides," Shinichi said. "the wind picked up her skirt for a moment, she had bar-shaped bruises on her this."

Ran gave her perverted friend a deadpanned look. She wasn't really surprised.

Eventually it was their turn for the ride. Two of the ladies from the group, the gymnast and another, hopped into the front seats, she and Shinichi took the second row. The last member of the group on her boyfriend took the third. Before another couple could clime in, two men dressed in all black shoved their way through and took that last row. The shorter man was clutching a black briefcase while the latter man with long platinum blond hair glared at anyone who tried to protest.

 

Shinichi and Ran were no stranger's to dead bodies, not even those who'd just had their head severed. Shinichi seemed to attract death wherever he went, it was a fact no different than the sky being blue or the earth having gravity.

Ran found the scattered pearls right where her friend had predicted she would. Along with a few cunning children.

Shinichi felt nervous around the blond man in black, his piercing eyes were ones he was all too familiar with; the eyes of a cold-blooded killer. He was unable to do anything more than watch him and his partner leave, neither of them was the culprit, and he had no grounds to detain them. He watched as a pair of cops took the true culprit, the gymnast who'd had the pearls, away. He'd never understand what drove people to kill, or what pushed them to blame another for their own crimes. Bother were puzzles he had no desire whatsoever to solve.

When he caught sight of the shorter man in black, the one with sunglasses and a briefcase, run by, he knew something was up. He wanted to go after the man himself, but was hindered by his own physical limits.

"You head home, I'll call you when I'm done." Ran promised, running in the direction of the suspicious man in black.

Shinichi chose to remain at the table.

 

Ran watched the exchange with baited breath.

It was a please doing business with you." The stocky man in black said, excepting the briefcase with money in it.

She felt something hard hit her head. Her legs gave out beneath her and she fell forward.

"You need to be more careful- this pest saw the entire thing." An icy voice said.

"S-sorry Aniki," The stocky man said. "I'll take care of her."

She watched as the man pulled out a gun from his suit jacket.

"This place is crawling with cops, shot now and they'll come running." The cold voice said.

"B-but Aniki, how are we supposed to kill her then?" The other man asked.

"With this, the organization's latest weapon." The cold voice said. "It a poison that is supposed to be untraceable, and leaves no evidence."

A hand grabbed her hair, lifting her face off the grass. Something was shoved into her mouth, then a cylinder of water was pressed to her parted lips. Once she swallowed, her head was dropped back to the ground. She watched the two leave, vision hazy.

Then the pain hit. It was as if her bones were melting. Her body was on fire, and no matter how deep she pressed her face into the cool earth, the burning feeling persisted, it made the ache in her head worse.

"I'm sorry, Shinichi, I don't think I'll be getting back to you.

 

When Ran didn't contact him an hour later, Shinichi knew something was off. He wandered over in the direction he'd seen the man run. He probably wasn't their anymore, but maybe something had happened to his friend and she needed help. It was worth a try.

Behind the amusement park, he found a little girl dressed in clothes far too big for her. And those clothes just so happened to be the ones Ran had been wearing earlier. He knelt down beside the child and placed a hand on her shoulder. There was blood trickling down from her hairline, and obvious sign of a head wound, but other than that she appeared fine.

Why was she in Ran's clothes, and where had she even come from anyway? She couldn't be Ran, right? People don't just shrink. But he was having a hard time coming up with a more plausible explanation.

"Ran!" He said, nudging the girl gently.

"Ran, wake up!"

This time he got a response in the form of a long groan. A pair of blue eyes lazily blinked open as the girl lifted her head.

"Shinichi?" She murmured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first two chapter should be the longest ones, everything else will hopefully be no more than 1000 words and a little bit over.
> 
> There will be a bit more focus on the DC characters because their's more content, but we will see a fair bit of MK character and Kid!Aoko, don't worry.


	3. Choices to make

Ran Woke to the sound of Shinichi calling her name, pleading for her to wake up. Her vision was still a little hazy, but she was more than able to make out the wide blue of her childhood friend's eyes as they sparkled with worry and relief.

"Ran! I'm so glad you're alright!" Shinichi said. "How do you feel?"

"I feel like I just got trampled by a bunch of angry rhinos." A high-pitched voice responded with what she wanted to say.

Ran blinked. That wasn't her voice just then…right? Her voice wasn't that high in pitch, and yet it had just spoken what she had been going to say, and had tried to say. Her friend made a tight expression, as though confirming a suspicion of his. Sitting up, she winced at the pain in the back of her head and brought a hand up, then froze. Ran lifted her other hand and examined it.

The appendage was smaller than it was supposed to be, like a child's hand. Finally her brain registered that fact that her clothes were hanging very loosely off of her body, like they had suddenly become several sizes too big. But that couldn't be the case - people just don't shrink, it was a scientific impossibility!

And yet, as she stared at Shinichi's concerned expression, it was the only conclusion she could come to.

"Let's head to my place and see if Dr. Agasa's home." Shinichi murmured.

She nodded in agreement and took the offered hand, noting how big it was now in comparison to her's.

 

The pair were greeted with the sounds of an explosion and a broken wall as they neared the Kudo and Agasa residence. The man in question stumbled out from the wreckage of the now ruined and smoking wall, or what remained of a wall.

Dr. Agase was a single, middle-aged inventor with the whimsical heart and the creativity of a child. He always had some sort of revolutionary new idea for an invention in mind, but they blew up (literally) in his face between 95 and 99% of the time. The sounds of explosions, as well as the eccentric and spontaneous nature of his parents, were the reason Shinichi had long ago developed the ability to sleep like the dead.

"Ah, Shinichi! Hello!" Agasa greeted, getting up.

The teen in question smiled and raised a hand in greeting.

"Hey doc, we've got a problem and you're the only one with any hope of helping us." He replied.

Agasa gave him a quizzical look, then shifted his gaze to the person next to him.

"Oh? Who's that?"

Ran pouted. She had no desire to be reminded of her current set back any more than what was strictly necessary. And even that was more than she wanted.

"Well.. that's what we need your help with. This girl holding my hand is Ran." Shinichi said. "You're an inventor with a background in chemistry, you're our best shot right now at turning her back."

The older man blinked, mind slowly digesting this little ball drop.

"Shinichi, this isn't an elaborate prank, now is it?"

"No Doc, unfortunately I'm serious."

Agasa let out a sigh and then smiled. "Well then, I think the two of you should come in and give me an explanation."

 

"So, after the second guy caught you spying on his partner's transaction with the businessman, he his you over the head and then fed you an untested poison meant to kill without leaving a trace. But, instead it reverted you back to the physical age of 6, this is correct?" Dr. Agasa asked.

Ran nodded. "Yeah, and then Shinichi found me and we came here."

"Doc, please tell me there's something you can do." Shinichi said.

Agasa shook his head somberly. "Without a sample of the poison, there isn't anything I can do. You can't make a cure without the base poison."

The pair deflated in despair.

"And the only way we'd be able to do that is by tracking the bastards down!" Shinichi groaned. "Which, given the situation right now, is gonna be next to impossible."

Ran let out a groan of her own, resigning to the fact she was now trapped in a tiny and frail body.

"Unfortunately, it's all we can do at the moment." Agasa agreed.

"So, have you given a thought to an alias Ran can use?"

Agasa's question caught the two off guard.

"That's right, the men in black think you're dead right now, we can't let them know Mouri Ran still breaths." Shinichi mused.

Ran chewed on her lip. Her friend was right, at the moment it was too dangerous to use the name 'Mouri Ran' in public, they'd need to come up with a new one for her. As well as figure out what to do moving forward.

"Well, we can say she's a distant relative of mine who's been sent to stay with me for a while," Agasa offered. "Of course, since my place is unfit to house a child, and I myself would be unable to provide the attention necessary to care for a young child, I've talked my good friend Kudo Shinichi into watching her for me."

Shinichi let out a squeak while Ran willed the floor to eater her up at that very moment.

"Bad idea- very bad idea!" Shinichi responded.

Ran nodded in agreement.

"Really?" Agasa asked. "How so?"

"Ran's still a teenage girl!" Shinichi all but yelled.

"The Kudo manor is more than big enough to ensure Ran has her own room," Agasa pointed out. "besides, this way she can stay close to you and keep you out of trouble.

The pair blinked. Shinichi's counterargument had been flimsy at best, and the good doctor did have a valid point. Shinichi was a trouble magnet, always had been. Because he valued his own safety and health second to the health and safety of those around him, she'd had to become his protector of sorts to make up for it, since he was now too weak to keep his own ass unharmed. Living under the same roof would ensure she'd be more than capable of at least keeping his fragile health in check.

But it was still awkward to think about- the two of them living together. And then there was that other thing.

"I don't trust my dad enough to leave him alone." Ran said.

"Just have Shinichi spend more time with him then." Agasa said. "In fact, I'd recommend that course of action, he'd be more than capable of keeping Shinichi safe as well, and he is a detective."

Ran pursed her lips. Well, it was a solution.

"Okay then, I guess all we need to do now is come up with a new name."


	4. The first case

"Are you sure this is okay?" Ran asked. "My dad is a detective."

"Ran, when was the last time your dad solved a case on his own?" Shinichi retorted. "And no, I don't mean one of those cases where it's 'find this person or watch that person'."

He had a point. As much as she loved her dad (endearingly), he wasn't that smart. Most of his deductions were either flat out wrong or way off the mark, because of this he didn't get cases all that often. Unlike a certain highschool deduction freak who had homicide practically falling into his lap.

"Point taken." She grumbled.

"I'm coming! I'm Coming! I'm Coming!" An all too familiar voice shouted from the stairwell.

They could hear his clattering footfalls as the man hazardously ran down the stairs. Ran deadpanned as she watched as her father fell face first onto the sidewalk before practically leaping up. His face was decorated with a dopey grin that persisted even after he noticed the pair.

"Where's the fire?" Shinichi asked Sarcastically.

"It's my first job in six months!" The detective replied as he flagged down a cab.

"A rich man's daughter has been kidnapped!" Mouri further explained, way too happy about the situation.

"A witness said that the kidnapper was a man in black!"

A man in black?

The pair shared a glance with each other as a cab came to a halt. Well, knowing the man in front of them, he'd need some help.

 

"The crime is summoning me, the Great Detective, Mouri Kogoro." Said man boasted with a laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever help preserve that ego of yours." Shinichi muttered.

Ran glared at him.

"Why are you and some kid even in the car with me?" Mouri griped.

Mouri Kogoro was a private detective just a few years shy of 40. He'd once worked on the Tokyo Metropolitan Police force, but had been fired because he was terrible at every aspect of his job besides apprehending criminals and suspects in question. And even then he had more than a few slips up in that department. He was a brash, cocky man with an ego the size of an island, but he wasn't a man to be taken lightly in regards to physical power. The man had a judo throw like you wouldn't believe, and he'd saved Shinichi's hide with it on several occasions. Not that the teen would admit it.

"I'm here to help you, we both know you need it." Shinichi replied casually, like it was the weather.

Mouri muttered something under his breath, but did nothing else.

"So, who's the little brat?"

Time for the moment they'd all been waiting for (hint, sarcasm).

"She's Rachel Christy, a relative of Agasa's who's staying with me for the time being."

Mouri eyed her, but didn't say anything about the explanation. Not that either of them had expected him to. Even if he had noticed the resemblance between her and his 16-year-old daughter, whose mind would make the leap in logic necessary to come to the conclusion they were one in the same, even for Mouri Kogoro.

 

Mouri hadn't been exaggerating when hed's said the client was rich. The 'hourse' they arrived at was a spacious Japanese-style mansion that was at it's tallest, two floors tall. The estate was on the smaller end of things, but that didn't really diminish the grandeur of it.

The three were greeted at the front gate by the butler, an old gentleman whose hair had all turned grey with age. They were lead to the backyard where the master of the house and two servants waited.

"The child that was kidnapped is my only daughter, her name is Tani Akiko and she's 10-years-old." Mr. Tani explained.

The girl in the photo he'd provided was your average 10-year-old, her brown hair was pulled into a small pigtail with a red beaded hair tie. She was the picture of happiness as she hugged the neck of a dog that was looking a bit cross-eyed.

"My housekeeper, Aso, saw it with his own eyes."

"What did the kidnapper look like?" Shinichi asked.

He'd been quiet the entire time, until now, acquiring him several sets of eyes.

"Who are you?" Mr. Tani asked.

"Just a fellow detective, I'm partnering with Detective Mouri here for the time being for personal reasons." He replied easily.

He saw no reason to introduce himself by name, this was Mouri's case, after all. Mouri shot him a look, but didn't refute what he said or make any verbal complaints.

Aso, the elderly butler, nodded.

"At the time, the young miss had just come back from school, and she was playing in the garden. Suddenly, from the corner of the garden, a man in black jumped out and grabbed her. He then said "Tell your master, if he wants his daughter back in one piece, he needs to shut down his company for a month! If he tries to contact the police, his daughter is as good as dead!" After he said that, the criminal climbed up the pine tree, jumped over the fence and escaped."

"Did you get a look at the man's face?" Shinichi asked.

"My eyesight isn't very good, so I didn't see his face clearly." The elderly man admitted.

"That's a problem."

He could see Mouri seething in the corner of his vision, so he gave the detective the sweetest smile he had and nodded in his direction. Mouri took the hint, with a huff.

"Right, did anyone else here the criminal's voice or any other strange noises?" Mouri asked.

"Yes," The closer of the two woman, an older lady with long grey hair, said. "I heard Aso-san shout: "Th young miss has been kidnapped!" but I didn't hear any other noises."

"So, Aso-san is the only one who saw the criminal?" Mouri noted.

"Judging by the criminal's request, I would assume that he is working for a rival company."

It was a surprisingly logical deduction, and firmly sound too.

"Damn!" Mr. Tani snarled. "Not only does he want my company shut down, he also want's my money!"

"Money?" Aso asked, surprised and shocked by his employer's words.

"The kidnapper just phoned, he wants three hundred-million in old notes!" Mr. Tani explained.

"Master, maybe you misunderstood the request?" Aso pressed. He acted strange, as if this was a change to a plan.

"Stop saying that! Shut-up!" Mr. Tani shouted.

"Which companies would benefit if your company closes?" He heard mouri asked.

He stopped listening after that. The case was making no sense, or at least, very little sense. He toed the pink ball by the fence with one shoe. Three years ago he would have started juggling it with all the skills of a pro soccer player as he got lost in thought. Unfortunately, he was unable to do that after the incident.

"Why did the criminal risk coming to her home to kidnap her? It's simpler and safer to do it on her way home from school. And then there was the fact he was seen, that was too careless. But he demanded old notes, which shows he has confidence in his request.

His thoughts were running around in circles. And the ball was taunting him, daring him to kick it. With a frustrated groan he did just that, kick the ball towards the tree by the fence. Still stewing his thoughts, Shinichi padded over to where he'd kicked the ball. When he bent down to pick it up, a large dog jumped from out of a nearby bush with a fierce sound.

"Shinichi!" Rachel shouted.

Her fear disappeared when she saw the big dog 'assult' her friend's face with slobbery kisses. It was a well-known fact that Shinichi Kudo was not just a corpse magnet, but beloved by dogs anywhere and everywhere. It was no surprise that he'd received such a greeting.

"How strange! Jumbo is usually only friendly to the people within the household." Mr. Tani said.

He, Aso, and Mouri had come running over when they'd heard the commotion.

"The kidnapper supposedly used this tree to make his escape, and Jumbo his leashed close to this tree and usually barks at strangers.

Things clicked into place. Time to test his suspicion.

With the help of an offered hand from Mouri, Shinichi got up and placed a hand on the dog's head.

"So then, this dog normally barks at strangers, right?"

"Right, because Jumbo is one of the best guard dogs around." Mr. Tani confirmed.

He saw the gears in Mouri's head begin turning. Probably taking note of the contradiction between testimony and evidence. He also noticed Aso begin to creep away from them.

"Where are you going, Aso-san?" Mouri asked.

"The old man finally noticed.

"There are a lot of questionable points in what you've said." Mouri pressed. "If the criminal came in the garden using the pine tree, and took the girl and then used the pine tree to escape, why didn't the dog bark?"

"It's…It's because…" Aso stammered.

"There are many other inconsistencies in your statement! The truth is the only man in black out here was you, and you are the criminal who kidnapped the young miss, right?" Mouri demanded, Grabbing Aso by his dress shirt.

"Aso- You…!" Mr. Tani growled.

"Master, I am really sorry." Aso apologized, bowing over and over again.

"Why did you do this?" His employer demanded. "Who told you to do it?"

"N-nobody, all of this was done by me!" The butler insisted.

"Then, where is the girl?" Mouri asked.

"In a nearby restaurant." Aso said meekly.

Mouri, ginning, began spouting nonsense. Despite his words that it was "all clear now!" and "the hardest cases are solved!", this was both neither solved nor all clear. There were still too many inconsistencies and loose ends. And the girl wasn't home yet.

"M-master, the phone!" The older lady servant called, running towards them.

"Tell them I'm busy, ask them to call back later!" Mr. Tani said.

"But…" The lady hesitated, the offered the man a . Tani took the device and raised it to his ear.

"Hellow, I'm Tani."

"Is the three hundred-million ready?"

Tani gasped.

"Who are you?"

"Just as I thought. Shinichi grimaced. This wasn't over just yet.

"Didn't I just call you? I'm the man who kidnapped your daughter!" The stranger on the other end proclaimed coolly.

"That's impossible! The criminal has already…" Mr. Tani tapered off.

"So you DO have partners!" Mouri hisses, griping Aso's shirt collar.

"I don't, it's only me, please believe me!" Aso insisted.

Shinichi chewed his lip.

"If what he said is true, then after the first kidnapping, the first was kidnapped a second time. This time the culprit is serious.

"Dad, please help me!" A young voice called from the other end.

"Akiko!" Mr. Tani said, voice trembling.

"My patience is running thin." The second kidnapper said. "If you don't provide the thee hundred-million in time, then who knows what will happen to your daughter."  
Tani collapsed to his knees in distress.

"Please! I'll get the money!" He pleaded. "Can you let Akiko return home safely?"

"Keep talking to him, try and make him tell us his location." Mouri whispered.

"His location?"

"Who's there with you?" The kidnapper demanded."it wouldn't be the police, right?"

"N-no! He isn't the police!" Tani said quickly.

"Dad, I'm in a school's storage room!" Akiko called."There's a big chimney outside the window."

"Akiko!" Tani whimpered.

"I'll phone you in an hour! By that time, you'd better have the money!"

With those words the kidnapper ended the call.

"There are plenty of school storage sheds the have a chimney visible from a window." Mouri said. "Have the money ready in case time run's out."

"Y-yes." Mr. Tani said.

Mouri was right, that clue did not cut away enough location, even when taking into consideration that it was a local school. But they had to find the girl soon, there was little change that the kidnapper would just let her go, even if his demands were met.

"Get a car, we should have enough time to look aro-" Shinichi watched in mute shock as Ran snatched the map from his hand and mounted Jumbo like he was a poney.

"Crap!

"After that dog!"

 

Ran might not be a detective like her father or Shinichi, but she was clever in her own right. Using Shinichi's map and Jumbo's long legs, she managed to check all of the school (five of them) with chimneys visible. They were all busts.

"Crap, what now?

She didn't have much time left, the girl had to be found soon! Looking up, she noticed a rectangular building, then had an idea.

"Maybe, it could be…"

Just as she thought, from the side the building looked identical to the silhouette of a chimney! And there was only one school that could see the building at the right angle necessary!

"You have no value now." She hared the kidnapper say.

"I'm not too late!

"Wait!" She shouted.

"Who?" She hared the kidnapper, a man definitely not too much older than her dad, say. "Where are you?"

"Get him!" She ordered, letting Jumbo pounce from the opening in the doorway.

She heard him collide with something, and saw a few stray volleyballs, as she ran over to the bound and gagged girl sitting terrified with her back against a wall.

"It's alright now!" She said, pealing the tape gag off.

Who are you?" Akiko asked.

"Mouri Ran- ah, no!" She stuttered, catching herself. "Rachel Christy, detective's assistant!"

"Detectives… Assistant?"

Jumbo let out a whine as the man's foot collided with the dog's jaw. The poor thing ran off.

"You little devil!" The man said, smiling. He brought the shiny aluminum baseball bat off of his shoulder and prepared to take a swing. Ran jumped out of the way She lept up to take her own crack at him, but he grabbed her leg and threw her into a pile of soccer balls.

"Crap! My body's smaller and weaker now!

Eyeing the soccer ball that rolled into her light of sight, she took her chance and slammed her foot into the black and white sphere. The man caught it with ease. It dropped to the floor with a quiet 'plot' and then the next thing she knew, the bat was being slammed into her side, sending her flying again. She bounced against the floor and crashed into another wall painfully.

"Damn it! I'm too small- if help doesn't get here soon, I'm done for!

"The game's over! I'll kill you!"

Ran braced for the impact of the bat colliding painfully with her head.

Instead, the bat was stopped abruptly by a familiar arm.

"Dad!

"Bastard!" She heard him say.

She watched with awe as her dad's fists were driven into the man's gut several times. Pulling back, he let the kidnapper wall to his knees before delivering a finishing blow in the form of a round-house kick to the jaw. The kidnapper was sent backward with the force.

"T-that was my dad, right?

"It's alright now, your safe."

Snapping out of her thoughts, Ran turned her head and watched as Shinichi freed the Akiko from the ropes tied around her.

"How did you know we were here?" She asked.

"Simple, I asked about the layout of the local schools and learned that the closest thing to a chimney that could be seen from a school was the side of a certain building. And we also saw the dog close by." Shinichi explained.

As if on cue, Jumbo the dog came running back into the shed and began moving the older little girl.

 

Once they were back at the Tani estate, Akiko explained everything.

"I was the one who planned the kidnapping!" she admitted.

"W-what?" Her father gaped.

Shinichi was the only one unsurprised by this. And Aso the butler, but for a different reason.

"Because, you only care about work every day and not about me, so I asked Aso to help me arrange this kidnapping." She was close to crying, voice cracking as she spoke. "I thought that if dad's company was closed you could take me out to play!"

"That's why…" Mouri murmured, a hand on his chin. "The first kidnapping was a fake!"

"Even if it was my daughter who asked, you shouldn't have done it!" Tani said. "Do you understand, Aso?"

"Yes…" The man in question replied, looking resigned.

"As for your punishment, you have to book a one-week trip for two that will start tomorrow." Tani said. "The destination is Australia!"

Aso's mood shifted to surprise, along with his expression.

"Ah! Master!"

"Of Course, it's for Akiko and I. We're going together!" Tani said putting a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Papa!" She cried, throwing her arms around her father's neck.

 

"Where's Ran?" Mouri asked.

They had just arrived at his detective agency. That's right, he hadn't given the man the rest of the cover story.

"Ran's helping me solve a case at the moment- it requires a lot of undercover work, which I can't do." Shinichi explained. "So starting tonight, I'll be making myself a regular here so I can take care of you in her stead!"

"WHAT?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because Ran's now the 6-year-old, her dad is going to have to take up the 'resident basass' for her. So we'll be seeing plenty of papa Kogoro protecting his kittens(little Ran and Shinichi).
> 
> You know how I said the chapters after the first two would be shorter? Yeah, don't expect that to happen too often. Most of these are going to be written episode by episode, so yeah, they'll be pretty long.


	5. Training Haze

Aoko didn't have the extensive magician 'training' Kaito did, nor had she spent most of her free time polishing the acrobatic reflexes needed of a phantom thief. It was ironic really; her friend really did have all the making necessary for a Kaitou Kid. But, she was a quick learning, and way by no means possible weak - seriously, it took real strength to dent concrete with a mop. It was disheartening to see her childhood friend's face fall whenever she had to tell him "I have some errands to run, sorry" as an excuse to run off to Jii-san for training. Her father… well, after the 'return' of Kaitou Kid, he wasn't at home as often. And if he noticed a change in her demeanor, he never mentioned it.

One of the hardest thing to do, she found out quickly, was not block any of Kaito's pranks. After a week and a half of phantom thief training, she had the skills needed to turn the dye bombs and such away from her, if not turn them back on their sender. But that would be a dead giveaway of her secret. Kaito was many things, but unobservative was not on that list. It was still embarrassing to have to sit back and let him announce to the world what color her panties were on any given day, but she'd managed to bribe a new option from Chikage-san; Kaito's weakness.

 

She'd walked with Kaito to school like any normal day, and the walk had been as uneventful as it normally was. She'd even managed to make it to her seat without her friend pulling something. She school her face into a mask of innocent cheerfulness (Jii had told her that her poker face was one of the best). As she was hunting through her school bag for her first period notebook and textbook, a breeze tickled her legs as her skirt fluttered against her thighs. Inside, a grin befitting Kaito split her face.

Her friend let lose a high shriek of terror as he reeled back from her desk. She let the grin she'd been holding back adorn her face as Kaito stared at her, pale and shaking. All eyes fell on them. Kaito, the class prankster was always calm and composed, nothing ever ruffled his feathers. Until now. No one else had any idea what she could have done to terrify the magician so thuroly

"I see you've stumbled upon your surprise." She said with mock sweetness. She watched with delight as he grimaced as her sugary tone.

"A-a-a-aoko, w-w-why d-d-d-d-do y-you h-have t-those t-t-t-t-t-things on –y-you?" He stuttered.

"Oh? You like them? I got them yesterday, along a pack of them really, after I had a talk with Chikage-san."

She watched as her friend blanched in horror. Oh how sweet revenge tasted at that moment. She took a step towards him, and then another, purposely hiking up her skirt's hem ever so slightly with her thigh. Kaito bolted to his feet as her mop of choice materialized in her hand. Today was going to be a good day for her. Her fellow classmates were still watching the show in confusion, as Kaito made sure not to flip up her shirt in any way, and in fact was doing the complete opposite. Whenever she did anything that would have normally flashed, Kaito pulled a trick or two to hide her undergarments from view.

 

After that fateful night a week and a half ago, her resolve hadn't wavered even once. Even if her choice to become the next Kaitou Kid made her sense of justice sting, she wouldn't have it any other way. Jii had decided the next heist would be three weeks from then, the most time she could have to train that wouldn't arouse suspicion from the killers or the police. Because she already had an 'athletic' background (i.e. chasing Kaito) and decent flexibility, she'd had an easier time than most catching onto the tricks and reflexes a phantom thief needed. The magician and thief aspects were harder. Her sleight of hand was still at an amateur level, and mimicking voices, male voices specifically, was a trial and a half. It also still took her close to a full minute to get out of a disguise, even when the Kid suit was underneath.

Jii had consoled her, saying that it was amazing that she'd made it this far in only a week and a half, and thy by the due date she'd have most of her bases covered. The man's praise did lifter her heavy spirits, but didn't completely sooth her worry. She was still unsure if she'd be able to face her father like this. Even when she took the advice to thinking not like Aoko, but as Kaito Kid, her hands still tremored a little the prospect of standing before her father on the opposite side of the law.

She pushed her doubts had hesitation into a far corner of her mind. She had to do her best, she refused to tarnish Toichi-san's legacy with mediocracy. She took up the white manly to protect Kaito from the truth; so that his mental image of Toichi Kuroba would always be the loving father and great magician and nothing less. If that mean lying and deceiving, then so be it. If that meant tormenting her father and delving into the grey are of the law she'd come to finally see, then so be it. She'd catch the men who stole her dear friend's father from this world before his time and make sure they were locked away. She would also find out what it was that got the elder Kuroba killed, after all, there had to be a motive behind it all. People didn't just stage murders as accidents unless there was a reason behind it, unless there was something worth killing to hide.

She'd take up the mantle and become a thief befitting the image of Kaitou Kid the second and solve this mystery, then hang up the mantle for good. Hopefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the almighty fish panties >:3 since, ya know, after enough phantom thief training she would realistically have the skill to at least see Kaito's pranks coming, but can't let him know.


	6. School Daze

It was quiet. Far quieter than back home, but maybe it was because of just how big the Kudo manor was. Ran untangled herself from the white sheets of 'her' bed. She'd claimed the bedroom across from Shinichi's as her new bedroom. It was one of the closest rooms to his, and this way she'd be able to run directly to him own if something were to happen.

She hopped of the twin sized bed with a quiet thump, her night shirt brushing against her ankles as she stretched. She dug through the mahogany dresser for a moment before retrieving a simple pink skirt and a green shirt with a cat's face printed on the front. Today would be her first day of repeating elementary school and she wanted to at least make a decent impression. Pulling her night shirt over her head, she tossed the lavender flower print garment into a corner before getting dressed for the day.

She glanced at the door across from her own for a moment. Shinichi was not a morning person. And while he'd never been late to class because of it, she'd more often than not walked into his house to find him half way through breakfast because he'd slept through his alarm. She could let him sleep until breakfast was ready, she decided.

She dapped down the hallway towards the stars. Descending them, she made her way to the kitchen to start on breakfast. She knew there was food stuffs, and where everything was kept. The day before the Tropical Land fiasco she'd dragged him out to get food and then had helped put it away, like she had several times before. Standing on a chair she began cracking eggs as the stove warmed. To her right a rice cooker was doing its job. The rice cooker beeped as she was dividing the scrambled eggs between two plates.

She placed the bowls of rice and plates of eggs on two spots at the end of the western style dining table. Back in the kitchen a pot of coffee was brewing, it would be ready by the time a certain someone was down. With her preparations complete, Ran climbed back up the stairs to go poke a sleeping dragon– er, her friend Shinichi. He'd slept through his alarm; she could hear it even from the kitchen. How he slept through something that loud was a mystery all its' own.

She opened the door in a manor not meant to be quiet. She marched on over to the dark navy blue curtains and threw them open, letting in the morning sunshine. A bundle on the bed groaned and turned over to face her. The teen detective regarded her with ire as he poked his head out from his nest of blankets. With that bedhead of his, he looked the part of a sleepy cat, he even let out an annoyed hiss as he sat up. They didn't say anything to each other as Shinichi got out of bed and blearily stumbled out of his room in search of the nearest bathroom. His uniform was already hanging outside of his closet, so she was no longer needed.

She headed back downstairs to go eat breakfast. Exactly 10 minutes after she sat down, the coffee machine chirped and Shinichi came downstairs. He first made a beeline for the coffee; drinking a mug straight from the pot (it still amazed her how anyone could drink coffee as black as he liked it – and he liked his coffee blacker than she'd though possible). He brought a second mug with him to the table and began eating. It wasn't until the pair was out the door did they actually say anything ("You have you house key?" "Did you remember lunch?").

 

"Hey, Shinichi!" Sonoko called.

He regarded the heiress with a stained smile, but waited for her anyway. The tea brunet ran towards his as though she was going to be late for class, which she wasn't. He'd checked his watch after dropping Ran off, there was still plenty of time, just how he needed it.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Do you know were Ran is? She didn't call me last night and I'm worried." She replied.

He knew she'd be asking the question eventually.

"Yeah, she's doing some undercover work for me, we stumbled upon something yesterday." He explained, then placed a finger to his lips. "It's a secret, so please don't go blabbing it to everyone, okay?"

Sonoko pouted at him. "What kind of woman do you think I am?"

He didn't both responding to that, any answer would have been regarded as the wrong one and earned him a scowl or some form of retort.

"Well, sense your wife isn't here to care for you herself, I'll keep an eye on you in her place." She huffed.

Shinichi sputtered.

 

Repeating elementary school was not that bad, or at least Ran didn't mind it. Shinichi probably would have been bored out of his mind, being practically a prodigy and all. At least high school was closer to his cognitive lever, though she suspected he still found those to be not mentally engaging enough. She regarded each class with the same level of enthusiasm as her fellow grade schoolers.

"Wow! You're so good at this!" Yoshido Ayumi said.

The grade school girl regarded her work, all simple addition and subtraction, with awe, or maybe it was the fact that she'd done it so quickly. Ayumi's friends Genta and Mitsuhiko regardewd her work with less enthusiasm, but no less impressed.

"Thanks, I did this sort of thing in America," she said.

Her cover story was as Rachel Christy was that she was a relative of Agasa's from America whose family was dealing with some hard times as felt a change of scenery would do her some good. It was a solid story, simple enough that no one would ask question, and easy enough to build upon if needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sonoko is going to be treated a litter differently, since she's pretty much going to fill Kogoro's role when he's not there and Hattori or Kazuha aren't either. I guess this story could potentially become 'Shinichi become that damsel in distress we all know he secretly it', because he's the only other person besides Sonoko who doesn't know a valid form of self-defence, and Sonoko is going to have to step up her game to protect him.
> 
> Also, the Shonen-tantei are going to become Shinichi's 'helpers' of sorts.


	7. Birthday Blues and a crimson Pandora

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Blue Birthday heist! With it Aoko finally get's the lead she's been hunting for, and most of the answers to the questions she's been asking since day one: Who killed Kuroba Toichi?

The alarm went off sudden and loud, shattering the night’s gentle quiet like a herd of drunken elephants. Aoko ran through the buildings barely lit hallways, a smirk on her lips. Outside a tide of division 2 police cars waited, with her father no doubt already at the reins. The window ahead of her was getting closer with each step.

“Don’t let him get away! After him!” her father was no doubt shouting.

“Catch Kaitou KID!” She heard him shout as she broke through the window.

A bloom of grey smoke enveloped her before she could enter free fall. The tiny white blimp shot off as soon as the smoke dissipated.

“You’re not going anywhere!”

The police quickly scrambled into their patrol cars (most of them had already been inside and ready, per the keibu’s orders). The drivers didn’t even bother to wait for their partners to buckle up – the moment the door was closed the cars were off.

Aoko snickered as she watched the task force drive by her spot in an alleyway chasing after the dummy, hearing her father shout “I’ll get you, KID!”. She probably shouldn’t have been finding amusement in her father’s obsession like this, but it was funny to watch her father dance around so easily!

“Sheesh, they fall for my dummies every time.” She mused gleefully, staring at the jewel carefully held between her left thumb and pointer finger. It was like a tinny firefly in the crescent moon’s soft light. “He never learns.”

The sirens were getting distant when she grabbed the ender of her mantle and walked deeper into the ally. It was a little past midnight, so she felt confident enough to stay in KID regalia as she exited the other side of the ally.

“This makes three heists this month. And tomorrow’s target will be my biggest yet!” She said aloud, tossing the red jeweled silver ring up in the air before catching it. “I’ll need to keep at the top of my game!”

The payphone she’d passed while walking began to ring. The street was empty, making her the only one in sight.

“Must be… for me?” She wondered.

Well, she’d get her answer soon enough. She entered the phone booth and grabbed the bright green phone from its resting place and lifted it to her ears.

“Hello?”

A deep chuckle resonated from the other end. It definitely wasn't a person she recognized, and Jii wouldn’t contact her like this.

“It’s been a long time, Kaitou KID.” The person (a man most likely, the voice was very deep) said.

Her eyes narrowed.

“And who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?” She asked cooly.

“Have you forgotten my voice?” The other person asked.

This person knew KID, but somehow she got the feeling the relationship hadn’t been a casual one.

“I’ve warned you before, keep your hands off precious gems.” The person said.

She fiddled with the ring in her free hand. 

Precious gems?” She inquired. Did the one in her hand count?

“What you stole tonight isn’t the one we’re looking for, so we’ll let it go.” They continued, as though she hadn’t said anything.

Well, she got her answer.

“But if you dare do it again, you’re a dead man.”

Aoko froze. Were these the people who killed Kuroba Toichi? She couldn’t be sure of it just yet. The line went dead, leaving her in a stunned silence. She placed the phone back on the receiver.

“Who was that guy?”

 

“Keep your hands off precious gems?” Jii repeated. “That’s what he said?”

The pair were situated at the Blue Parrot, the billiards bar Jii owned and ran on his own. Aoko was currently sitting on one of the bar stools, Jii behind the counter polishing glasses.

“Yeah, “What you stole tonight isn’t the one we’re looking for, so we’ll let it go. But if you dare to do it again, you’re a dead man.” Is what he said.” She added.

Jii responded with a non-commental noise that sounded similar to a throaty groan.

“You don’t think he’s got something to do with Kuroba-san’s death?” she asked.

“I don’t know, but you’d best be extra careful from now on.” Jii replied. “Young miss.”

Aoko looked up at the elder man and gave him a smile.

“I told you to stop with the “young miss”, Jii-san, “Aoko” if just fine.” She reminded.

“But what about at heists, where anyone could be listening?” Jii pointed out, setting his glass down. “No matter how careful you might be, mistakes and slip-ups happen.”

“Hmm, maybe something like “Young Master”?” She proposed. “Kaitou KID is supposed to be a man after all.”

“Understood, bochama.” Jii responded. 

Well, he had had a valid point, so Aoko pardoned his worry.

“Oh yes, as requested, I’ve already prepared the props for your next magic show” Jii began, lifting the flap and exiting the bar to walk over to the pool tables.

Aoko smiled. “Thank you.”

She got up and jointed him by one of the tables, watching as the felt covered panel flipped over to expose the tools she would be using next. One of which was a detailed printout of the building’s floor plans, next to it was a large kit containing a power drill and different bits. Closes to her was a black bock just in front of jii, and just in front of her was an odd white device resting on a small black pedestal.

She lifted the foreign thing up to her face, finding it was covered in white cloth.

“What’s this?” She asked.

Jii leaned over and whispered the answer into her ear. She felt a smile befitting Kaito break across her face.

“I get it!” She replied with glee.

“And this it…” Jii started, lifting up the black box. He opened it so she could see the content inside.

“Whoa, color me impressed!” she said. “When did you have the time to make all of these Jii-san?”

“I didn’t make these.” Jii corrected, smiling with pride. “These were created by an inventor friend of mine.”

“I didn’t know you had any hakasa friend, Jii-san.” Aoko whistled. “You’ll need to introduce me next time.”

Outside, a bright yellow beetle drove off from its spot parked out front.

“I’m sure you’ll meet eventually.” Jii promised.

 

“Kaitou KID will strike again tonight! His target is the giant sapphire, Blue Birthday. The sleep-deprived inspector Nakamori rubbed his bloodshot eyes and promised victory.” Kaitou read aloud, scrolling through the article on his tablet.

A small scowled formed on his face. She knew Kaito was anti-KID, just as she publically appeared to be (she was the daughter of an inspector tasked with catching KID… and like hell she was egotistical enough to support her own persona!).

“Nakamori-keibu will catch him, I know him well!” Kaitou said, gripping the device a little harder.

“Yeah, to hell with him!” Aoko agreed. “Dad hasn’t been able to get a decent night’s sleep in a week!”

Kaito looked at her.

“Really, I hope he’s alright, he hasn’t been neglecting you, has he?” He asked.

“I’ve been busy myself, so I’m fine!” She replied with false cheer. 

“Well don’t worry, I’ll be over to keep you company.” Kaito said.

What?

“No one should spend their birthday all alone!” He said, completely missing the look of panic that flashed across her face for a moment.

"Crap! Today’s my 17’s birthday- how’d I forget about that?!

She felt a scrutinizing star fall upon her. Kaito was looking at her with intent.

“You’re turning 17, right?” He asked.

“We’re both second-years idiot, of course I’m 17!” She growled.

“But your chest, your hips, your butt…” Kaito muttered. 

She felt a touch upon each of the aforementioned parts of her anatomy. Kaito would have probably lifted up her skirt instead of touch her butt, but he knew she had fish panties and could be wearing them at any moment. After inspecting her, Kaito placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Aoko, please be honest with me..” He began.

“A-about what?”

“Are you really a boy?” He asked, with a straight deadpanned expression.

The crashing sound that followed had everyone staring at them.

“You jerk!” She seethed.

She’d hit Kaitou full on with his own desk. The pervert deserved it.

“Don’t bother coming over, I’ll make sure I’m busy the entire night!” She huffed.

“Aww, don’t be like that!” Kaito whined, getting up.

He was probably used to it by now, and was probably just fine too.

“If you want, I’ll try catching Kaitou KID for you!” He offered. “Wouldn’t that be a good B-day present!”

“Would you really?!” Aoko asked, doing a 180. “That would be perfect!”

"And not going to happen. She thought.

 

“Aoko, why do you think Kaitou KID’s pulling off these thefts?” Kaito asked.

School was over and done with, the pair were currently in the proses of swapping out their shoes before heading home. The soft light of the setting sun blanketed the in a warm orange glow.

“I mean, thieves don’t normally return the things they steal, right?”

Aoko nodded, pretending to have ignorant as her friend.

“I don’t know if he’s the greatest phantom thief in the world, but it does seem like he’s doing it for laughs.” She agreed.

Behind her poker face, she winced. She was doing this for the complete opposite of fun. She might find it humorous to prank her dad like this, but she had a goal; to catch Kuroba Toichi’s killer! She was doing it for justice.

“That must be it, he’s doing it to make your dad look like a fool.” Kaitou said grimly. “A real first-rate crumb… a real magician wouldn’t use his skills for crime.”

“Anyone who would laugh at a man giving it his all is the worst of the worst.”

“Uh-oh, are the lovers having another domestic spat?” Keiko said, walking past them and defusing the tension like a popped ballon. “Thanks for the drama!”

 

There was something dramatic about the way the lights in the KID room would blink on one at a time. She listened as the mechanics in the jukebox came to life, watching as another record was selected from the stack. Wonder what bit of useful advice she’d get this time. She no longer felt as though she was stepping upon something sacred, even if this was all meant for Kaito.

“Listen Kaito, listen well.” She heard Toichi’s voice say.

“What is it today, Kuroba-san?” She asked. It was redundant, she knew, but it felt right.

“Before you do a trick, you must never explain what’s going to happen.”

Hmm?

“That’s one of the three principles of magic, as laid out by the great Thurston.”

“Don’t explain what’s going to happen?” She murmured.

The record ended and was returned to its place in the stack.

“That should be a no-brainer, right?”

She watched the wardrobe containing KID’s suit rise up and open.

“All righty… time for another night of mayhem.”

After putting the suit on so many times already, getting into it was as easy as slipping into a second skin.

‘I’m sorry, Kaito, but acting as Kaitou KID is the only way I can think of flushing your dad’s murderers out. So until then… Kaitou KID must take the moonlight stage.’

She couldn’t afford to hesitate, and her resolve musn’t quiver. Not while there was work to do.

 

“Are you sure about this, Nakamori-keibu?” The museum's curator asked. “Is this enough security to protect the Blue Birthday, India’s biggest sapphire?”

As far as he could tell, in Inspector hadn’t done much in the way of anti-KID protection.

“You can count on me, curator!” Nakamori assured him. “Nakamori Ginzo will guard the Blue Birthday with his life!”

“Yes, but still…” The curator hesitated. “…that doesn’t look very secure to me.”

How was a simple cage meant to keep out one of the most elusive and slipper phantom thieves of the century?

“Look again with these on.” The inspector said, offering him a pair of goggle specs.

Curious, the man slipped the specs on as the inspector said to do.

“W-what are those?!” He sputtered. 

The cage was now accompanied by lines of what were probably sensors of some kind.

“Laser beams.” Was his answer.

“And not just any old lasers,” The inspector continued with a sly look. He flipped a silver coin in the direction of one of the beams. “Anything that so much as touches them…” When the coin hit the beamline, it exploded. “…is blown away in an instant.”

“On top of that, the cage is made of a special absolutely unbreakable alloy, and the flood is electrified with a high-voltage current.” He further explained. 

“Even Kaitou KID is a flesh and blood human. I’m sure even he’s smart enough to stay away from all this!” Nakamori declared with a laugh.

“I see, lasters, special cage, and an electric current…” Aoko mused with a smile, placing her drill aside. “Dad, you’ve really outdone yourself this evening.”

She reached into a side pocket and procured the white device she’d gotten from Jii, then placed I through the hole she’d made in the ceiling and watched it drop onto the display case’s top.

“And yet…”

As soon as it touched the glass, the device activated and began expanding.

“His notice will just be empty words this time!” Nakamori-keibu declared, still laughing.

Behind him, one of the officers noticed something, his expression going from content to shock.

“K-Keibu! I-isn’t that…!”

“Kaitou KID!” Nakamori finished.

What appeared to be KID was kneeling on top of the display case, inside the cage.

“H-how did he get in there?!” the curator demanded.

“Y-you little… Turn off the power and open the cage!” Nakamori ordered.

“Okay, Now!” Nakamori shouted as the cage opened, all of his men in the room with him. “Charge!”

Like a stampede of bulls, the officers charged as ‘KID’ as they were ordered to and proceeded to dogpile the display.

“Look at ‘em go!” Aoko said, watching them wiggle about below.

She even got to see her father dive into the fray.

“I think I’ll join ‘em!” She decided.

Dressed in a matching cop uniform, Aoko dropped down into the mass of officers and maneuvered her way to her target. Just in time too!

“Th-this is a rubber dummy!” Nakamori said, finally getting a look at ‘KID’.

“K-keibu!” The cop next to him said.

“K-KID!”

Aoko was standing at the entrance to the exhibit.

“I did indeed purloin the Blue Birthday.” She said, holding the necklace up by its chain to show it off to her father.

“Let’s meet again, Nakamori-keibu.” She said, flipping the lever to reactivate the cage with a slight bow before running off.

“Halt!” She heard him shout as she made her escape.

“KID!” the Keibu shouted as the thief in white vanished.

The look of anger on his and his men’s faces changed to sly smiles.

“Okay. Part one of the plan was a success!” He said. “Curator, turn the power off.”

“R-right.”

Nakamori and his men stood up.

“You mean that was a fake?” the curator asked.

“Silly, he’s not dumb enough to make off with a fake.” Nakamori replied, smiling still.

“Then how was it a success?”

“Mission: Capture Kaitou KID, part two!” Nakamori said, flashing two fingers. “Locate his hideout!”

“Hu?”

“There’s a miniature super-sensitive tracking device in the jewel’s chain.” The keibu explained. “Even Kaitou KID can’t remove it.”

“Y-you put that in without asking?!” The curator said in disbelief.

“All in the name of protecting the Blue Birthday. So don’t worry, curator.” Nakamori said. “As long as he’s got that gem, he could run to the ends of the earth, but there’s no escaping us!”

“Keibu!” An officer with a laptop said. “We’re picking up KID’s signal on the roof!”

“Good, Keep tracking him.” He said. “Call in the helicopters and a ground team!”

“Yes, sir!” The other officers responded.

“Kid… Say your prayers! I’m gonna lower the boom on your hideout tonight.” The keibu promised.

 

“This late already?!” Aoko said. “I need to hurry up and get home, Kaito’s probably been at home alone for hours now!”

With a click of a button, her mantle folded out into its glider mode.

“Alright, next stop: home!”

Before she could move, a gunshot echoes through the air. The bullet his one of the scaffolds of her glider, breaking the entire thing and sending it, minus her and her mantle, over the rooftop’s edge. She turned her head to see who’d shot at her, knowing it wasn’t a cop.

“I’m warning you again,” A familiar voice said. “Keep your hands off of precious gems.”

"That voice, it’s the creep from the phone call!

She counted around 9 men before her, all dressed in black with fedoras obscuring their faces. One man in particular stood in front of the rest, his gun drawn. The creep had an equally creepy handlebar mustache.

“Long time no see, Kaitou KID.” Mustache creep greeted. “Or… maybe I should say Kuroba Toichi.”

Aoko couldn’t keep the shock from her face.

"He know’s Kaito’s dad’s name!?

She didn’t want to believe that anyone had put two and two together to find out the magician’s identity, but it made sense. Why else would Kuroba Toichi’s murder be so flawlessly executed as an accident?

“I was surprised to hear that the fool who went after the jewels we wanted and died eight years ago was actually still alive.” Mustache creep said.

"I see, so it was them…’ she thought, standing up "They’re the ones who killed Kaito’s dad!

She took a step back, but was reminded of how high up she was when her heel encountered open air.

“Now, hand over the gem.” Mustache creep demanded, raising his gun – a hand pistol – up. “Be a good boy and I’ll let you live.”

She stared at him with hard eyes.

“Just tell me one thing.” She said, reaching into her right pocket. Finding the Blue Birthday, she tossed it towards the man’s feet. “Why are you guys after jewels like this?”

The creep bent down to pick up the sapphire, chuckling.

“It seems that these jewels are the key.” He said cryptically, straightening back up.

“The key to what?!” she demanded.

What could be so valuable to kill for?

“Eternal time.”

“Eternal time?” she repeated.

The man withdrew his hand from his inner coat, smiling with a killer’s delight.

“I’ll give you a present.” He said. “Eternal time in the afterlife!”

Aoko tensed. Once more the sound of a gunshot filled the night air, this time KID ‘himself’ fell from the roof, backward towards the ground. A strangled cry coming free from the thief’s lips.

The man peered over the edge, chuckling with victory before full on laughing.

 

“Ohh, so this is the Blue Birthday…” A heavyset man dressed in a formal kimono said.

The crescent moon reflect distortedly off of the surface of the pond he stood facing, the black-clad men to his back.

“Well done, Snake.”

He stared at the sapphire in his hand with a smile befitting a criminal like him.

“I’d better tell the boss right away.”

“But why is the boss so interested in gems?” The mustached creep, Snake, asked. “Surely the boss has enough money and jewels to last several lifetimes.”

The Blue Birthday is one of the big jewels that are scattered around the globe. It may possess incredible power.” The portly man explained, facing Snake.

“I-incredible power?” Snake parroted.

If this is the gem that the boss is looking for,” the portly man continued, turning back to face the pond. “There’s a legend about it that’s been passed down since ancient times. “Hold up the stone of life under a full moon and it’s tears will flow.”

“Th-the gem’s tears?”

“Yes, and whoever drinks the tears will be able to realize humankind’s final dream… they will attain eternal life!” The man finished, staring at Snake with a sly smile.

“E-eternal life?!” Snake gasped.

“However, only one of the big jewels holds that power,” The man continued. “End unfortunately, we don’t know which one it is yet. That’s why we have to obtain them one by one.”

“But how can you tell whether the gem possesses that wondrous power?” Snake asked.

“It’s simple.” His superior said, turning his face to the sky. “Just hold it up to the moon like this.”

His lifted up Blue Birthday skyward, thumb and pointer gripping it sideways.

“If it’s the gem that has the power, then a second gem within will glow red under the moonlight. The stone of life… Pandora!”

The portly man’s grin fell away to surprise.

Inside the gem was not a second, smaller one, but a note that said “Sorry, try again” and signed with KID’s signature self-doddle.

“W-what’s this?!” He cried.

Snake ran over to him, the smaller portly man glaring at the blue stone in disbelief.

“I-it’s the wrong one?” Snake asked.

“I see…” A younger voice said. “So you hold it up to the moon…”

Aoko held Blue Birthday the same way the shorter man did.

“Kaitou KID!” Snake barked.

The thief in question was standing on a tree branch overlooking the pond with her mantle fluttering softly behind her, a white silloet against the dark night sky.

“How did you live through that?!” Snake demanded.

Aoko smirked.

“Well, I was nervous there for a second.” She admitted.

She’d been lucky to have a parashoot on her as well, it was the reason she avoided hitting the ground.

“But that bullet should’ve hit your heart!” Snake said.

She chuckled. “It did hit me. Or rather, the item that was in my breast pocket, Blue Birthday.” She explained.

“Then this one is…” the short man said.

“A fake!” She answered. “Making up a realistic replica in case you need it is one of the fundamentals of being a thief.” She even winked at the end.

“D-damn you!” the short man growled

He tossed the fake down against the ground, breaking it. Th other men in black up op to his side, guns drawn.

“Shoot him!” He ordered, despite the fact that’d already started doing just that.

“If you want it that badly, I’ll give it to you!” She said with a grunt, launching herself off the branch.

She tossed Blue Birthday at the fat man, hitting him square in the face with it sideways. The momentum sent him sprawling onto his back before he bounced into his stomach.

“B-blue Birthday…” He grunted, staring at the sapphire.

“In’s the Pandora gem your looking for!” She answered.

“W-what!” The man snarled.

“But it does have something special in it.” She added.

An incessant beeping noise, like a bussing insect, drew their attention.

“W-what’s this noise?”

“Sorry, but I don’t have any more time for you guys tonight.” She said, lowering the brim of her hat.

“Boss!” A man from inside the house cried as he slid the door open. “There’s an army of cops in front of the house!”

“W-what?!”

“Kaitou KID! We’ve got your hideout surrounded!” Nakamori announced through his megaphone. “Come out with your hands up!”

“A-A transmitter?!” the portly man gasped.

Aoko chose this moment to scoff.

“Eternal like my ass!” she huffed. “Don’t make me laugh!”

Snake growled at her. She ignored him.

“Pass this on to your puppetmaster!” She continued. “Kaitou KID’s gonna find this Pandora gem before you do… and crush it into bits and pieces!” 

With her promise made, she lifted her mantle up to obscure her, then made her escape after setting off a smoke bomb.

“D-Damn that KID…” The portly man snarled. “Abandon this hideout! Use the secret underground tunnel to escape!” He barked.

The police made their way through the house.

“Give it up, Kaitou KID!” Nakamori shouted.

He shoved open the sliding doors to find… an empty yard.

“I-it’s deserted, Keibu.” One of the officers stated.

Nakamori stepped onto the grass.

“Crap.” He muttered.

He took a few steps forward, looking around. The soft ‘chinking’ of a necklace chain made him look at his feet. Resting by his left foot was the Blue Birthday.

“What’s this?!”

Nakamori knelt down to pick up the item in question.

“The Blue Birthday!” He said, standing back up.

“You did it! You got it back!” An officer said.

Nakamori brought a hand to his chin and thought.

“Blue Birthday…” He mused. “Come to think of it, I have the feeling it was somebody’s birthday today…”

“Grate job keibu!” Another coop said, removing him from that tangent of thought.

“Yeah! Our plan worked like a charm!”

“Let’s celebrate out in the town!” Another proposed.

 

“Thanks Jii-san!” She said, exiting the man’s car.

“Take care, you miss- oh, and Happy Birthday!” Jii responded, driving off. 

It was getting close to midnight. A part of her did hope to find Kaito maybe not waiting for her, but showing that he’d tried to. It was an odd thing, to be late to any celebration of your own birthday, but she was happy. She’d finally gotten a lead, and an answer to the question primary in her mind.

Pandora hu? A gem that legend says will grant eternal life… She wasn’t ready to say she believed in that, but if it did exist she would destroy it (if that was possible, she’d at least try). Kuroba-san had died trying to keep it out of the hands that eventually killed him… Did Chikage know? Somehow she got the feeling the woman did.

She found Kaito snoozing in her living room, arm pillowing his head from resting directly on the coffee table. Kaito kept his promise after all.

“Thanks for waiting for me, sorry it took so long… I’ll make sure to avenge your father, Kaito.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4k+ word count... that is my highest word count in a single sitting to date.


	8. The Shonen-Tantei and the Golend Fish

“Wow! How pretty!” Ayumi gasped.

The object in question was a western style crown outfitted with sparkling gems of rainbow colors, gleaming gold, and a soft red fabric. Elsewhere Genta was admiring western swords that were equally as pretty looking, metal and gems glittering in the light. Mitsuhiko found himself enthralled with the artistic handiwork of an Egyptian sarcophagus crafted out of gold (or maybe it was just gold plated, it was imposable to tell).

“It was all really pretty!” Ayumi said.

“Yeah,” Mitsuhiko agreed. “But the golden mask was kind of scary!”

“I heard from Shinichi-niisan that there are still many undiscovered treasures all over the world.” Rachel spoke up.

“That’s right!” Genta replied. “I really want to find those treasures.”

Genta halted in his steps and bent down to pick up a drifted slip of notebook paper.

“What is this?” He asked aloud, looking at the paper in question.

“What’s wrong?” Mitsuhiko asked as the rest of them ran up to see what it was their largest friend had found.

“What’s this piece of paper?” Ayumi asked.

The paper in question was a smaller sheet that looked like it had been torn from a rectangular pocketbook of some kind. The paper was divided in three by two straight lines. Above the top line was a drawing that looked like an arrowhead with a rectangle across it near the top, next to it was a crescent moon. Between the two lines were five other drawing; the first was a rectangle with a half circle on top, beneath it was a downward pointing triangle followed by an umbrella, below the umbrella was a circle with a star in it, after that was a square divided into two rectangles. The word ORO was written next to an arrow that pointed to the square. Below the last line was the drawing of a fish.

“There are some strange symbols on the paper.” Mitsuhiko noted.

“Hey, would this be a treasure map?” Ayumi exclaimed.

The rest of them looked at her in surprise with a collective “huh?”.

“Treasure Map?!” Genta said.

“Well… maybe.” Rachel said. “Why don’t we have Shinichi-niisan look at it?”

“Oh, that sounds like a good idea!” Mitsuhiko agreed. “Shinichi-niisan is really good at puzzles. If this is a treasure map then it’s got to be a puzzle of some kind!”

While they were talking, a group of suspicious foreign-looking men began looking around, two blond and one black of hair. They were all dressed in dark suits and his their eyes behind sunglasses. One of the two blonds noticed the children as they talked, zeroing in on them from behind triangular shades. Genta was waving the ‘map’ around in his hand.

The short man grabbed the attention of his companions and pointed and the 4 kids. Before he could go in, the ebony haired man grabbed his shoulder and shook his head. They moved behind a stature and continued to watch the 4.

“Fine, we’ll go show it to Shinichi-niisan.” Genta relented.

 

“Hey Kogoro-san, have you heard? They finally caught Dino Capane, the Italian robbery group leader.” Shinichi said. “They still haven't found his partners yet, but it’s likely that they as well as the 15,000 maple leaf gold coins they stole are still here in Japan.”

Looking up at the privet eye, he felt his eyebrow stitch. The man’s desk was littered with empty beer cans and convenience stoor snake foods. His ashtray was also jam-packed with cigaret Stubbs. Was this man always this messy? He honestly felt sorry for Ran is she was the one who had to clean up her father’s messes.

“You do know such a mess is unprofessional and generally tends to steer clients away from you, right?” He asked.

Mouri Kogoro shot him a dirty look.

“Shut up brat!” The older detective shot back.

Shinichi rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to clean up your messes for you, I’m not a saint like Ran.”

Tucking his legs up closer to his chest, he returned his attention back to the newspaper in his hands. Before he could resume reading, the door swung open and Rachel along with her friends from school walked in.

“Shinichi-niisan, we need you to take a look at something for us.” She said.

Genta handed him the slip of paper. He glanced at the symbols and scrunched his brow.

“Um, what is it that I’m looking at?” He asked.

“We think it might be a treasure map!” Ayumi said.

His first thought to ‘yeah right’, but as a detective he had run into some strange codes before. The longer he looked at it the more certain he was that it was indeed a code of some sort. Oro looked familiar, but he couldn’t place it, he knew it was a foreign wort at least.

“Can one of you get my bag?”

Mitsuhiko handed him both his school back and the bag he’d dubbed his ‘Mouri office survival kit’. He grabbed the bag and rummaged through it, placing three different Japanese translation dictionaries down next to him. The first two, the English and French ones were a bust. The last one, his Japanese to Italian one, gave him what he needed.

“You were right about one thing, treasure is somehow involved.” He said, closing the book. “Oro is the Italian word for gold.”

He watched as the three actual kid began vibrating with excitement.

“Let me get some shoes on and we can start looking around.”

 

Shinichi had an idea of where to start at least. The first symbol looked like a simplistic drawing of the Tokyo tower. It was easy enough to herd the vibrating 6-year old into a bus – no way was he making it all the way there walking.

“You sure Tokyo tower’s the right place?” Rachel asked.

“Unless you can think up an alternative interpretation, then yes.”

“I wonder what kind of treasure we’ll find?” Ayumi pondered.

“Well, obviously it’s something related to gold, Shinichi-niisan did say Oro translates to gold.” Mitsuhiiko pointed out.

“Maybe it’s a hidden stash of gold bars or something!” Genta speculated.

The three wandered off onto thoughts of what they would buy with their share of the treasure. Genta doubtlessly decided on lots of food, specifically grilled eel over rice (that boy and his appetite, thank god he never had to buy the kids lunch!), Mitsuhiko wanted a space shuttle, and Ayumi wanted to travel the world 100 times. All in all it was normal things for kids there age to want, even if they were far from realistic… Well, maybe Genta’s wasn't that unrealistic, even if there was no way for him to eat as much eel over rice as he was implying he’d buy.

“So, Rachel, what would you get?” Ayumi asked.

“Hmm, probably tickets to a karate tournament coming up soon.” She replied. “Or that cute coat I saw in the window of my favorite store last week.”

 

He continues to inspect the ‘map’ as the kids ran around chasing theories of their own with a copy in hand. Rachel could keep them out of the worst trouble, and he wasn't able to run, let alone walk around everywhere to chase after them.

He was certain the moon played a crucial role, either to help break the code or as an important character in it’s secret. Since the fiver center drawing was the biggest group, he focused his attention on them. The first symbol maybe could have been a hat and the second underpants, but there was no clothing item that marched up with the last two so he scrapped that idea (but not before muttering aloud around the rambunctious kids, thus sending them off on a while goose hunt). 

There was also the word Oro. It was Italian, which felt a bit random. Sure, the normal Japanese citizen usually only knew a bit of English so it was unlikely they’d understand the word, but still, why Italian. Unless… was the person who made the ‘map’ Italian? They would explain why they chose to write oro instead of something else.

Bu the time the group fo 4 returned to him dejected and melancholy from their failures, he’d lost himself in an idea. The idea that whoever wrote the ‘map’ didn’t understand Japanese very well, and probably was more versed in Italian, made the most sense. What if the symbols in the center were the path they were meant to follow, and the ones separated by lines were the starting and end points. If so, then what were the 5 middle drawing supposed to be.

“It’s getting late, we should probably start thinking about heading home.” Rachel said.

Running a hand through his hair, Shinichi looked up. The sky was already dark and the moon was rising. Hmm, moon. Moon!

“That’s it!” he said, getting to his feet.

The kids stared at him strangely, caught off guard by his outburst.

“Have you figured something out, Shinichi-niisan?” Ayumi asked.

“Yes, look.” He said, pointing.

It was a large neon sign atop a several story building. Outlined in bright yellow was the second symbol (not counting the moon). 

“We’ve been looking around at the wrong time, the moon meant that we’d only see the path at night.” He explained.

He had to follow at a snail’s pace as the three kids bolted with Rachel chasing at their heels. They had a copy of the map, and he trusted Rachel’s observation skills to make up for his own in his absesnse.

 

Shinichi silently cursed his luck. He’s just brought it up with Mouri earlier that day! How had it slipped his mind that the ‘map’ was related to an Italian robbery gang? The kids were all bound tightly with ropes keeping their arms at their sides. For one he was a bit glad he had to move at a slower pace than everyone else, if he’d been in the room with the kids at that moment he’d have been caught as well.

Not that it was going hi much good at the moment. His watch only contained a single dart, and all three of those men had loaded guns. By the way they were overturning boxes and such in the room, they hadn’t figured out where the treasure was yet. It was funny how people rarely looked up, even though things falling from above could be the most dangerous and fatal. Hmm, that gave him an idea. 

When Rachel gave them the hint to find the gold, he acted. Creeping his way on over to the ropes holding the gold suspended he reached over to grab the metal rod keeping everything in place. The moment he was the Japanese robber look up and smirk, he acted. Using all 100 some odd pounds of body weight, he shoved the metal rod free, freeing the ropes and sending the bags of gold crashing down on the three robbers. After he was satisfied they the three were subdued, he sent the 4 off to get the police.

It was the first case with him working with the newly christened “Shonen-tantei”, the little detectives who were sure to set themselves up as his helpers in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might not have too many of the Shonen-Tantei centered episodes, but I'll make sure to have more than just this one.  
> And does anyone know where I can find a digital version of Magic Kaito and Detective Conan?


End file.
